The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 13, 2006
Filed:
Sep. 02, 2003
Gary E. Zack, Novi, MI (US);
Harold R. Macks, Redford, MI (US);
Gary E. Zack, Novi, MI (US);
Harold R. Macks, Redford, MI (US);
Visteon Global Technologies, Inc., Van Buren Township, MI (US);
Abstract
To protect the class II integrated circuit bus from negative transients, the present invention uses a clamp circuit which is biased from the battery and referenced to ground as opposed to being biased and referenced to ground. Thus, the current path is not from ground to the bus pin. Instead, it is from the battery through a blocking diode, a transistor, a resistor and a plurality of diodes to the bus pin yet referenced to ground. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention consists of a transient protection circuit including a reference diode with its cathode connected to ground, a transistor biased as a current source having its output terminal operably connected to an anode of the reference diode, and at least a second diode operably connected between the anode of the reference diode and a bus pin, whereby the transistor supplies current when a module ground is intact.